Poli 204 discussion question

Quebec should not separate from Canada Quebec was founded by French settlers during the 16th century. It was then conquered by the British (known as the conquest of New France in 1760). “The Philosophy of the Enlightment” allowed Britain’s victory to treat the French people with dignity as both nations were civilized societies (source?). The British allowed the French occupants to maintain cultural aspects such as language and traditions (source?). In effect, The Quebec Act was published in 1974, in efforts to ensure loyalty from the French as the British government worried that the remaining French people would support the American Independent War (source?). The act was favourable for French people; allowing the continual practice of

loses one of the most special identities. Canada, including Quebec belong to every Canadian, not only the Quebecers. Every Canadian should have the right to determine Quebec should leave or stay. It is normal in a democratic country and government should respect to what the citizens say. In Canada, only 22% of people agree that Quebec should separate, as well as 27% in Alberta. By these percentages, we can see that most people

The law also changed the demographics in the schools, with all immigrants now attending French school. This, while ensuring an immigrant population which would speak French as their second language, caused some upheavals in the French system where in some areas, Francophone children found themselves in a minority in their own schools. This was and is the case in Montreal where most

solidified the separatist efforts of the Parti Québécois and later contributed to a referendum question on Quebec nationalism in 1980. In looking to establish the long term effects of how

Conscription proved itself on angering many French Canadians. The October Crisis showed how French Canadians can fight back against Canada. The 1992 and 1995 Referendums demonstrated the actions that the French can take if they are ignored. Becoming aware of Canada’s actions can prevent straining French-English relations to the point where it cannot be

The Bill 101, known as the Charter of the French Language was introduced by René Lévesque in 1977. The main goals of this law was to promote the use of French in Quebec and to assimilate every immigrants into our community. It placed restrictions on the English primary and secondary school and impose commercial adds to use French. The Bill 101 is limiting us because it is no longer necessary, unfavourable for the economy of our province and it offers less opportunities.

While the rest of Canada employs the concept of multiculturalism, Quebec emphasizes on another theory: interculturalism, or the notion of support in cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures. In the province, the word multiculturalism announces pejorative meanings. This was due, in part, to the fact that “a federal commission which was charged several years ago with the task of developing policies for Canada, based on its bicultural and bilingual character emerged with a recommendation that Canada think of itself as a multicultural and bilingual country.3”. Francophones, on the other hand, felt that this concept placed them at the same level as minority ethnic groups, thus erasing their thoughts of being seen as one of the country's founding nations.

In further analysis, angry people are more likely to listen to militants and commit violent acts, building a tense environment for Quebec citizens to live in. According to CBC Digital Archives, in response to the FLQ and other revolutionary groups forming, “when innocent people became injured from terrorist attacks, the cry for police involvement became shrill.” (FLQ Backgrounder Web) It is evident in this statement that many separatists who resorted to acts of terrorism consequently stimulated anger and fear in Quebec. If the Quiet Revolution had not occurred and the feelings of separatism and rise of terrorist groups did not follow, fewer people would have been hurt by the violence, both directly and indirectly. All things considered, the encouragement of separatism also weakened English-French relations as Quebec left 30 large shared programs, though the other provinces did not have the right to do so. All things considered, “from the Quebec Act of 1774 to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada has protected the place of its French minority. If Quebec were to separate, that protection would be gone and the Francophone society would be assimilated by the wider world within a generation or two.” (Kheiriddin) In relation to this comment, many English Canadians viewed Quebec’s special status during the revolution as

Quebec is a distinct nation within Canada and it is important for Quebec to remain this uniqueness by continuing to be a dominant francophone culture. With the decline of French population Quebec fears a loss for their language, culture and identity. Quebec has enforced a rule in terms of immigration to protect their culture. For example, Herouxville, Quebec has issued a code of standard to inform immigrants that they must leave their culture, ethnicity, and language behind and must adapt to Quebec culture. Quebec is struggling to maintain their provinces French language and culture. If Canada’s population continues to grow from immigration the government may enforce laws to lighten up the immigration law within Quebec allowing all minorities.

In 1976 Rene Levesque won the provincial election and became premier of Quebec with his party, Parti Quebecois. The separatists wanted to strengthen the French language and didn’t care about official bilingualism. So not long after taking office, the Parti Quebecois passed Bill 101, which is also known as the Charter of the French Language. It decreed that French was the single official language of the province of Quebec and that employees of the government had to work in French. Outdoor commercial signs had to be in French only and the children of immigrants would have to go to French schools. The Quebecois likes this new law because they thought their language and culture was becoming endangered. Birth rates in Quebec had gone down and the

The historical context of the Quebec Separatist movement included The Quiet Revolution. The Quiet Revolution was when small groups try to make Quebec independent especially FLQ. The small groups members were Francophones, French-speaking citizens. Their ideals was to make Quebec independent from Canadaś government. First, Canada made a bill stating that it will create a better future for Canada. “The Official Language Bill is a reflection of the nature of this country as a whole and of a conscious choice we are making about our future.” (World History: The Modern Era) Canada thought it was necessary to have one language, and it will make them feel united. After this bill was established, Canada’s government regretted and believed that there should be two official language. Yet the citizens of Canada were still deciding if they wanted that law to pass. “We believe in two official languages and in a pluralist society, not

Though the beginning of the separatist movement was marred by fighting and violence, the vast majority of the conflict has been a political one. The reason for the revolution in Quebec stems from the restrictions placed upon the populace by the English. These restrictions were on both the language and culture of the Quebecois, and caused them to feel trapped in under the English rule, for lack of a better term. This revolution is on a much less certain foot than the others however, with many of the younger citizens not remember the restrictions of days

During the twentieth century, Canada as a nation witnessed and endured several historical events that have had a deep and profound influence on Canadian politics. The most influential and constant force in twentieth century Canadian politics has been the increasing power and command of Quebec nationalism and the influence it

Among the other five regions of Canada, Quebec is the only one whose majority is francophone. Quebec society features a culture conflict that is the basis and evident of one of Bone’s faultlines. That faultline in the Quebec region is the French/English fautline. This fautline is currently active;

Outside of attempting to achieve sovereignty, the Parti Quebecois has advocated for French language and cultural rights within Canada and Quebec for its entire existence. The most prominent advocacy is perhaps Bill 101, which entrenches the rights of the French language in the Canadian constitution . Championed by Leveque’s government in 1977, it outlined the terms which protected the French language in Quebec by setting out the terms of its use and access. The move was crucial to maintaining the position of Quebec in conducting business and the language’s ability to be used in an official capacity where before the only inclusions were where the stipulations in the British North America Act . Instituting such protection as law has gone from being part of their platform to the focus, given the cultural force English Canada possesses compared to Quebec’s.